Making DC Comics History on Gotham

Tonight (2/28/19) in Episode 508 of Gotham on Fox, I’m back. And I’m not alone. I’m also making a bit of DC Comics history.

Tonight I become the first live-action performer ever to portray classic DC Comics villains The Ventriloquist and Scarface. And in case you’re wondering: yes, I do have some ventriloquism skills; I operated and voiced Scarface in real time on set, while simultaneously performing the role of Mr. Penn/The Ventriloquist. It was an amazing and incredibly fun challenge. I was so happy to have another episode with Robin–and to finally work with Cory! Seth Boston wrote an amazing script; one of the best in the entire series. Director Ken Fink and I have the same warped sense of humor, and he guided this crazy episode with fantastic flair. His visual ideas were insanely clever. Props gurus Courtney Schmidt and Giovanni Rodriguez created an amazing Scarface. It was a joy start to finish.

I can only say thank you again to everyone on the show for this incredible 2-season experience–the simply amazing and sweet cast, the entire crew (including fabulous DP David Stockton), my series directors (Danny Cannon, Rob Bailey, Ken Fink, Mark Tonderai, Nathan Hope, Nick Copus, and Scott White), the tireless office staff, the incredible writers room, our gifted designers, and our incomparable team of producers–especially Danny Cannon, John Stephens, Scott White, Tom Whelan, and assistant Shelby Coppola–for your belief in me. Thank you all for welcoming me into the delightfully demented world of Gotham, and making me part of the coolest, craziest TV family ever.

On the casting side, huge thank you’s to Renée Glicker, Joe Kokofsky, and team at About Artists Agency for submitting me for the initial Mr. Penn audition, to the fabulous team at Bowling/Miscia Casting for granting me an audition, and a special thanks to Warner Brothers Senior VP of Casting Tony Sepulveda for saying that magical, life-changing word: “Yes.” I hope we share more “yes” moments in the future!

My biggest thank you’s go to my husband Tim (for over 25 years of love and encouragement), our families, and especially to Gotham’s absolutely incredible legion of fans. Moments like this are rare in any actor’s career. I’m honored to play these iconic roles, and so grateful we got to share this ride. Thank you all.

Given that my character of Mr. Penn was killed off in Episode 503, this appearance as the Ventriloquist and Scarface almost didn’t happen. For the whole amazing story on how it did, check out the exclusive interview I did with GothamTVPodcast, which will be available on their site and via most podcasting apps, shortly after Episode 508 airs.